[pluma]

What's worse, we're talking about people who are frequently so far off-par when it comes to education, relevant job experience and so on that even if they make an effort they still will be off-par enough to look bad.

You dropped out of high school and now spent several years getting your high school diploma while flipping burgers to make a living? Great, but you're now in your mid-to-late-20s and you should have finished college or have several years of relevant job experience by now.